My High School Story
by disneyfanforever123
Summary: Esmeralda has been dealing with what every teenager evetually faces, high school. In this story, she tells of her own experience attending W.D. Castle High and all the struggles she faces in this thing called life. Through all the challenges and conflicts, she learns how to overcome what life throws at her and be happy with who she is.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Sorry for being inactive for a while. Just been super busy. So I'm sad to say I'm not going to be continuing The New Girl anymore because I didn't really know where I was going with the story and it just got to complicated. But I'm starting this new story that I hope you guys like. I'm working really hard on this idea and I hope it works out. Thanks and I hope you enjoy.**

Life. It's complicated. Filled with ups and downs, twists and turns. Kind of like a rollercoaster. Everyone goes through hard times and not all people understand each other. At least that's how it was for me. Though I still haven't reached adulthood. That's right. I'm just a regular teenager like so many of you out there. And life has just been constantly taking me on a ride. It all started when I began my freshman year at W. D. Castle High School. I've never really been a shy person, but today was a whole other story. I was super nervous to be starting high school that I felt like everyone around me was judging me. Like I wasn't supposed to be there. Like I didn't belong. I look back now and realize I may have overreacted a smidge, but right then in that moment, I couldn't seem to breathe. It felt like everyone knew. Like my thoughts were being projected on the walls, of what happened that summer. Something I wanted to just keep to myself…but I'm jumping ahead. My name is Esmeralda and this is my high school story.

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I was walking to my first period when I ran into my best friends Philip, Belle, and Tiana. We spent most of our summer with each other and were very excited to be attending high school all together.

"Who do you have first period, Essie?" Philip asked looking down at my schedule.

"Algebra with Mr. Thatch," I replied thinking about my surroundings. "Am I the only one who doesn't want to be here?"

"Well, it kind of sucks summer is over, but its high school. I thought you'd be more excited," replied Belle.

"I mean, yeah I'm stoked and all, but," I paused as I flashed back to the summer. It may have been perfect for some, but it was a whole different story for me.

"But what?" asked Belle.

"Sorry," I said returning to the present. "Uh, nevermind, I guess I'm just a little nervous, you know? New school, new people, new everything."

"Hey, come here," Philip started placing his arm around me. "It's going to be fine. The best years of our lives are ahead of us. This is just the beginning."

Then the bell rang signaling us to be in class. We each parted ways as I thought about what Philip told me. If this is supposed to be the best years of my life, why did I feel so miserable? I finally reached my classroom, apologizing for my tardiness and claimed I couldn't get my locker opened. I took a seat in between some redhead and a blonde guy, setting my backpack on the floor next to my desk. As I was settling in, I happened to glance over at the blonde guy and felt like I knew him from somewhere. I didn't realize I was staring until he made eye contact with me causing me to jump and stare at the blank desk in front of me.

"Esmeralda?" the blonde guy asked looking at me.

"How do you know my name?" I questioned looking back over to him.

"It's Phoebus," he started "Remember? We went to elementary school together." My eyes then popped out of my head as I realized he was right.

"Oh wow, I do remember you," I replied smiling. "Didn't you move to Oklahoma or something?"

"Texas, actually," he laughed. "We moved back over the summer."

"Wow, that's crazy," I said smiling. The whole class we spent talking and catching up about what our lives had been like since Phoebus had left after fifth grade. It was actually really nice to see a familiar face to brighten up my day. To help me forget about everything I was dreading would happen. We both exchanged schedules and discovered we had a few classes together, including Drama. Once, the bell rang we headed to the auditorium where we ran into a blonde girl and a short guy with red hair.

"Hey, Cindy, there's someone I want you guys to meet," Phoebus said walking over to the blonde girl. "This is Esmeralda. Essie, these are my friends Cindy and Quasi."

"Nice to meet you," I greeted them. "So, how do you know each other?"

"Oh, we all went to beach retreat together this summer," Cindy responded.

"That sounds fun," I smiled.

"Yeah, it was pretty great," Phoebus added. "Essie and I went to elementary school together before I moved."

"Wow, that's wild," Quasi said sitting down on one of the platforms in the room. As they continued the conversation, I glanced over and noticed the red head from my previous class and saw she was alone. She seemed a little shy and probably was feeling the same way I was earlier. I decided to walk over and introduce myself. I figured maybe she needed someone to make her day better.

"Hi," I started getting her attention. "I'm Esmeralda. I recognized you from my algebra class and just wanted to introduce myself."

"Oh, thanks," she blushed. "I'm Ariel."

"That's a pretty name," I smiled. "So how's your first day been going?"

"Honestly, pretty crappy," she sighed. "I know high school's supposed to be great and all, but I'm just a little nervous and scared about it."

"I felt the same way earlier. I think you have to just get it out of your head and try to relax," I started. "And I think part of that is making new friends."

"I'm not really the best at making friends," Ariel responded. "I've always been just the invisible quiet girl."

"Well, I think you're wrong," I said smiling. "I'd think you're making friends already."

"What makes you say that?" Ariel asked.

"Well, I think you're pretty cool, and I'd like to know more about you," I answered with a smile. Ariel smiled as I led her over to where Phoebus, Cindy, and Quasi were. I was happy I was making new friends. And it was only second period. My only question is though, will I stay happy?

 **So that's chapter one. I hope you guys liked it. So what do you think happend to Esmeralda over the summer? What characters do you hope pop up next? How do you think this is all gonna play out? You'll have to wait and see. Please Review, I love hearing from you guys! All love:)**


	2. Chapter 2

So my first day wasn't as horrible as I thought. I actually made multiple new friends, but they'll appear later on. Anyway, my story starts the first day, but let's skip ahead to mid-September. The annual Homecoming Dance was fast approaching and tons of my friends were getting asked. Cindy was first to get asked by her then boyfriend Charlie, then Belle was asked by a new guy she met at the library named Adam. Another friend I met a few weeks into school, Snow, was asked by her choir friend, Ferdinand. Quasi also got up the nerve to ask Tiana to go and even Ariel got asked by some guy she met at a fast food Mexican restaurant. But not me. And that's okay. I didn't even want to go to the stupid dance. Sure, I love dancing, I'm at the studio two times a week, but Homecoming was the last place I wanted to go to. And hearing about it just made me want to scream. I mean even my dance friend, Pocahontas, was asked by some junior at her school named John Smith. I couldn't escape it. My friends constantly begging me to go, the non-stop conversation about dress shopping, and the endless aweing over whoever was asked next. Finally, I decided I needed to talk to someone who hated this event more than I did. My best friend.

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Philip and I's moms have been friends for about a year now. We introduced them to each other when we were in eighth grade and soon, they were as inseparable as we were. His mom invited mine to come over to help her with some house decoration and I agreed to tag along to hang out with Philip. Once we walked inside, Philip and I headed upstairs to play some pool.

"So, are you going to go to homecoming?" I asked as he broke.

"No," he scoffed. "Dances are lame. Just some stupid excuse to spend money and dress up for no reason."

"You know, I actually agree with you," I said after knocking a striped ball into a corner pocket. "Both Tiana and Belle will not stop talking about how amazing the night's going to be and I'm sick of it."

"I just don't see the point," Philip stated as he waited for me to finish my turn.

"Would you go if you wanted to ask someone?" I questioned after switching places with him.

"Uh, I don't know," he said lining up his shot. "Truthfully, I'd have to really like them if I actually made an effort to go."

"Makes sense," I said watching as he accidently hit the cue ball into a side pocket. "Ha, sucker. I own this game."

"Yeah, whatever," he laughed. "You're just getting lucky." I laughed as I set up the cue ball in front of a striped one and easily hit it into a corner pocket. I started to align my next shot when Philip said, "So, who are you hoping asks you?" After he said that my aim slipped causing the ball to just roll slowly into the middle of the table.

"What?" I asked recovering. "No one. I don't want to be asked. I don't want to go just as much as you do."

"Come on, you know that's not true," Philip explained. "You only say that because you want someone to ask you. And because they haven't, the thought of this dance makes you angry. So who is it?"

"You're hilarious," I laughed. "I don't want to go because the dance is going to be lame and boring. Not because I don't have a date."

"See you want to believe that," Philip pointed out. "But deep down, you know it's not true."

As Philip began to align the cue ball, I thought about what he said. I was certain that I hated homecoming because everyone wouldn't stop talking about it. But maybe he was right? After we finished our game, my mom informed me we should be heading back home. After arriving back, I went straight to my room. I needed time to think. And this is hard to confess, but if you want to know the full story, I have to tell you everything.

Middle school was the time in my life when I developed my first crush. I thought he was so funny and sweet that I couldn't help falling for him. I always wanted to tell him how I felt, but I always got shy about it and couldn't handle it. I was never great at expressing my true feelings. I just found it hard to trust people. And I still have that problem. By the time eighth grade came around, I was ready to face my fear and tell him the truth. But when I went to tell him, he told me that he was grateful to have me in his life. That I was like a sister to him. That's right, I got friend-zoned. Hard. After that day, I realized we had built a very strong friendship, and telling him about my little crush could ruin that. I admitted it. We were better as friends, and I didn't want to ruin that. And that guy, was Philip. To this day, he doesn't know about how I felt, and he may never, and that's just fine.

The reason I'm talking about this though is because Philip may have been right. Deep down, I did want someone to ask me to the dance. A really good friend of mine. The one and only, Philip. But he said so himself, he'd only go if he really liked the girl. And clearly that wasn't me.

Finally, the night of the dance arrived. All my friends had posted pictures of them dressed up all beautifully. Though I missed out by my own choice, I think it was a good one. I enjoyed staying home and watching TV till I almost fell asleep on the couch. I heard my phone buzzing. It turned out to be my bestest friend in the whole world face-timing. We've known each other since kindergarten, and even though she became homeschooled, we never lost touch.

"Hey, Punzie," I said answering the phone. "What's up?"

"I remember you telling me it was your homecoming night and that you were instead staying home, so I just wanted to check in on how your evening is going," Rapunzel replied.

"Oh, it's been going okay," I smiled. "Just been watching some shows on Netflix."

"Es, seriously, what's going on?" Rapunzel urged not buying my okay.

"What do you mean? Nothing," I claimed.

"Come on," she whined. "Something's up. Are you regretting not going to the dance?"

"What? No. It's just…" I stop to find the right words to say.

"Just what?" Rapunzel questioned. I fell silent. Not wanting to admit what's been going on in my head. In my thoughts. "Is this about Philip? You said you just wanted to be friends. Did you change your mind?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "No. I just…I just needed a night to think. You know? Yes, I really liked him, and yes, it would have been nice if he asked me to the dance, but it didn't happen. And I needed to wake up and realize this is reality. He's one of my best friends. And he ever felt the way I felt, he would have asked me. I just couldn't deal with all my friends at the dance when I was the only one unhappy."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Rapunzel said comfortingly. "You are one of the most upbeat, positive people I know. You saw that instead of gaining a boyfriend, you gained a lifetime of friendship. And you saw that instead of starting high school, you gained four years of endless possibilities. That's the kind of person you are. You turn a bad situation into a good one. And that's why I'm proud to call you my best friend."

I quietly thanked her as we continued the conversation on for a few more minutes. After hanging up, I began thinking to myself. Rapunzel was right. I was that person who turned a bad situation into a positive one. But sometimes it becomes too much. It becomes more of challenge every day to always be the one with a smile on your face. So yes, I was that person. But things change. And as life goes on, so do people. I may try my best to put on a happy face, but behind every smile, is a dark secret. A sadness no one can ever understand.

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. So do you think Esmeralda still has feelings for Philip? or is she just jealous of her friends? What do you think of Rapunzel as the encouraging childhood best friend? And do you have any ideas to why Esmeralda isn't her usual positive self? Please review and let me know. All Love:)**


	3. Chapter 3

From October to December, my only focus was on one thing, passing Biology. I don't know how it happened, but I was constantly lost and confused. I think part of it was that I just didn't care. But obviously that wasn't good enough for my parents. They told me I had to raise my grade to a B or face grounding until after Winter Break. I honestly considered being grounded. I figured it would be easier to avoid everyone around me. To finally be truly alone. But it didn't quite seem worth it. So I worked harder, and all that was left, was to pass the mid-term exam.

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"You do realize this is Algebra class, right?" asked Phoebus poking me with his pencil to get my attention.

"Really? Hadn't noticed," I replied sarcastically.

"Then what's with the biology textbook?" he asked curiously.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I need to pass this final to get a B in the class," I explained to him. He silently went back to doing his own work until the bell rang. I never let my eyes look away from the textbook as I walked down the halls to my next class period. It was hard to concentrate though due to the fact our school was holding their annual basketball tournament in the gym. All the crowds cheering and shoes squeaking, I walked even faster to Drama, determined to get to a quieter place. Luckily, our teacher informed us we would be having a study hall since we didn't have a final in this class. After a few minutes, I decided I needed a break. I looked up at Quasi, Cindy, and Phoebus all talking with each other. I watched as they joked and laughed all together. I didn't know why, but all the sudden I got sad. Observing their conversation made me upset for no reason. Was it because they were such good friends? Was it because they had similar interest? I couldn't figure it out.

"Hey, I was wondering what you got on number 24 on the algebra review," Ariel asked taking a seat next to me. "Hey, Essie? Esmeralda!?"

"What?" I exclaimed finally acknowledging her.

"You okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah," I smiled. "Yeah. Just got lost in thought, I guess."

"Oh okay," she responded. She then began rambling on about the Algebra review while I continued to think. Why did everyone always feel the need to ask if I was okay. Did I just come off as the kind of person who always needed to be checked on? Did there always have to be a reason as to why I was staring into space? Couldn't I let my mind wander without having to be questioned? I secretly kept these thoughts to myself. If I didn't, that word 'okay' wouldn't be a very great alibi anymore.

After Drama class, I decided I needed to try to relax more. Try to turn this bad day into a good one. I noticed I had a few dollar bills in my wallet and decided to buy some chips. Maybe I was a little hungry, and it would help me calm down. I reached my next class and took my seat in the back next to Ariel. I placed the bag of chips on my desk and grabbed the homework from the previous night. I walked over to the bin to turn it in as my teacher informed us we'd be going to watch the basketball tournament for class. Everyone was super excited, even me. I went back over to my desk and noticed my chips had disappeared. I looked in my backpack to reassure I took them out. I checked the sides of my desk to see if they had fallen off. I asked Ariel if she saw anyone take them or hide them, to which she replied no. I couldn't believe it. Once I thought my day was getting better, it went straight back to hell. I was beyond pissed. I knew someone must have taken them as a joke, but it wasn't funny. Not even close. I walked up to my teacher, Mr. Hades and informed him of what had happened.

"Alright, alright," He started getting the class' attention. "Who took Esmeralda's chips?"

"What?" asked Robin. "Nobody."

"Well, she seems to think someone took them," Mr. Hades explained.

"Maybe you just ate them and forgot," claimed Drizella from across the room.

"No, I left them on my desk, stood up to turn in my homework, came back, and they were gone," I explained to everyone.

"What's the big deal," cried Gaston. "It's just a bag of chips."

"Alright, calm down everyone," Mr. Hades announced. "Just who ever took them, return them, easy as that." Everyone all at once looked around at each other, trying to figure out who took them.

"See, no one took them," claimed Robin. "She just forgot she ate them."

"No I didn't!" I screamed. "If I had I wouldn't be hungry right now."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," continued Gaston. "Let's just go to the game now."

"No, I don't think so," exclaimed Mr. Hades. "See it would have been easier for everyone if the person came forward right away, but now they seem to be hiding. Which means this is more than someone stealing, now they're lying. So until who ever took them confesses, no one is going to the game."

"What?" exclaimed the whole class in unison. I don't know why this was so hard. If it was just a bag of chips like they all claimed, then why can't the person come clean? I went and sat down at my seat waiting for the culprit to admit to their crime. Sure, I could've easily forgotten about the chips. They were only 50 cents. But they were the only thing that was going to make my day better and I couldn't believe someone had taken that from me.

After a few minutes of silence, Gaston exclaimed, "Maybe it was Charlotte. She's sitting right in front of her, she could've easily taken them."

"Excuse me?" cried Charlotte from in front of me. "It wasn't me. I didn't take them."

"Oh please," Gaston scoffed. "You're constantly pulling these type of jokes. Just confess so we can go to the game."

"Look I want to go to the game just as much as y'all do, but I didn't take them," she argued. The debate continued with more people siding with Gaston and eventually I was even convinced Charlotte took them. Who else could it be?

Sadly, class ended and still no one confessed. No one admitted to taking my chips, and I was still pissed. The rest of my day was as shitty as before, and I couldn't help but avoid everyone. Even my friends. Finally, the bell rang announcing school was over for the day and I started heading out to get on my bus.

"Essie, wait up!" cried Ariel. I wanted to keep walking, but I'd been ignoring everyone all day. Plus, she would've just sat next to me on the bus so I might as well give in now.

"Hey, Ariel. What's up?" I asked as she caught up to me.

"I have to tell you something," she explained catching her breath.

"Okay. What?" I questioned her.

"Don't be mad," she started. "But, I was the one who took your chips." She opened her backpack, took the unopened bag out, and handed them to me.

"What? Why?" I asked getting upset.

"Look, I was just having a little fun," she began explaining. "I was going to tell you after you kept looking for them, but then you went and told Mr. Hades. Everything kept escalating so quickly that I felt like everyone would hate me if I confessed. I know it was stupid, but this is the first time in forever I haven't been seen as the invisible girl in school. I didn't want to go back to that. I'm really sorry." I continued to stare at her and think about what she told me. I was mad, but in the end it wasn't really a big deal.

"Hey, it's okay," I sighed. "I shouldn't have made it such a big deal. I was just a little hungry and was sad my snack was gone." Ariel then laughed and agreed that she would've been super pissed too. I realized sometimes bad days happen, but we can get through them if we don't constantly think about everything going wrong. It took me a while to figure that out, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved writing it. So do you think Esmeralda is jealous of her drama friends closeness? Do you think she overreacted about the chips? Do you think Ariel should've taken them? And lastly, did Esmeralda ever eat them? Let me know in the reviews! All Love:)**


	4. Chapter 4

So as the months flew by, I was determined to get my life back on track. I was no longer failing Biology, my friendships were as strong as ever, and life was starting to feel great again. I was beginning to feel myself again. I even joined the basketball team. It was pretty enjoyable. We didn't have the best season, but it was fun to have something distract me for a while. Especially because I discovered some bad news. It was right after our drama class had performed its spring performance. It hit me hard, and I couldn't believe it was happening. It all came crashing down, once again.

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I had walked backstage to change out of my costume and grab my belongings to go say hi to all my friends who came to watch the show. When I glanced at my phone, I had noticed there 3 missed calls and a voicemail waiting for me. It was Rapunzel. I decided to see what she wanted real fast and then text her that I would call her later.

"Hey, Essie," the voicemail started, her voice a little shaky. "I totally forgot you had your show today, so just call me when you can, but my parents told me that they've finally finished our house. I move in this weekend. Just wanted to let you know. Talk to you soon. Bye."

I couldn't believe it. I knew her parents had bought land to build a house, but some part of me wanted to believe it would never be done. That she wouldn't move an hour away from me. That she would always be close to me. I felt like crying. I couldn't believe we were going to be separated. I rarely see her enough as it is, now it's going to be 10 times harder. I just sat there, phone in hand, not moving, heavily breathing, just in shock. I must have sat there for about 5 minutes before Phoebus came wandering in and noticed me.

"There you are," he said approaching me. "All your friends were looking for you. I figured you might still be back here." I didn't respond. I just remained still and ignored him. "Hey, Essie. You okay? What's wrong?"

Finally, I broke the silence saying, "It's my best friend, Rapunzel. She's moving." He didn't say anything. He just sat right next to me and put an arm over my shoulder.

"Look, I know this hard," he began. "Trust me, I've been in this situation. It's going to be just fine."

"I know that," I whined. "Life's just been so hard recently. And as soon as I think everything is going to get better, everything gets worse."

"What do you mean?" He questioned. "You have great friends, a great family, a-"

"Because of what I almost did!" I exclaimed without thinking.

"What do you mean, what you almost did?" he asked confused. I stared at the ground in shock of what I had just said. I didn't want to go back to that. I didn't want to tell anyone about that. All I wanted was to move on and never think about it again. So simply saying it was nothing, I walked away from Phoebus to where my friends were waiting for me.

"There you are," started Belle. "You were great. We all loved it."

"Yeah, total kick-ass performance," Tiana added.

"Thanks guys, but I have to get going. My mom's waiting for me in the car," I said trying to act like nothing was wrong. "Thanks for coming. I'll see you Monday." And with that I walked out the door before any of them, or Phoebus, came after me.

After I got home, I collapsed on my bed in tears. I couldn't handle any more bad news. I didn't have the energy to even call Rapunzel back. I figured I'd come up with an excuse and deal with it tomorrow. But for now, I just wanted a moment to myself. So I could think about everything that's already happened in my first year of high school. Sure I made some new friends, and even reunited with old ones, but there were so many more things that went wrong. Could I actually finish high school happy? Or was I doomed to have another three years feeling the same way I do now? What's it going to take to finally be the person I was before last summer. The person everyone knows me to be.

 **Sorry this chapter was a little shorter, but I hope you enjoyed it. Any guesses on what Esmeralda is hiding? How is she going to handle her best friend moving? Will she ever let her friends be there for her? Let me know in the reviews. All Love:)**


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